I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 46 :: Sun Flare

Sun flare. Not a photography skill I have worked on...until the past two days. And I have discovered, along with temporary blindness by looking at the sun through my viewfinder, this is a challenging effect to achieve. For one, the sun needs to be low enough in the sky. Secondly, the sun has to be out. Thirdly, you cannot go grocery shopping during that narrow window of time or you will miss the opportunity altogether!

Persistence paid off and I was rewarded with this precious moment between brother and sister this morning:

Head on over to I Heart Faces and share your sunshine shot! Oh, and as an extra bonus, Becker is the guest judge. Yes, THE Becker!

Sweetness, enhanced :: Harker Heights Newborn Photographer

The I Heart Faces community is rewarding in so many ways and I have been lucky to be part of it since the very beginning. From my start as just another photographer entering pictures each week, hoping for a win, to my current status as a Contributor, I continue to gain as much as everyone else through this wonderful site. 

But this past week, I really gained something: The ENTIRE Gallery Collection of over 80 versions of 25 original .jpg textures from Patti Brown!! I have not used textures and overlays much in my post processing, so this will continue to be a learning experience for me, but I was very impressed with the ease of use and the dynamic way in which my images were transformed. (I do recommend visiting Patti's blog and watching her tutorial on how to use her products.)

Here are two pictures, first shown with my normal editing, then shown with two different overlays from The Gallery Collection: 

I also want to say a big thank you to Lindsay, of Perfect for a Princess, who gave me this sweet baby hat and bow. Don't they photograph beautifully?!

Please visit Patti's Kaleidoscope Website to see more dramatic before and after images.

Little Artist

I am no artist of the pencil and paper variety, and I only know a handful of 3 year olds, but I think the masterpieces my 3 year old creates are impressive. I have some of the best fridge art ever!

A pair of frogs, enjoying a day with sun and clouds:

A serene scene on a lake, complete with a boat, sun and clouds:

I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 45 :: Autumn Beauty

Texas is not renowned for its fall foliage and autumnal beauty, but if you are willing to drive a few hours, you will certainly be rewarded with a taste of the northeast at Lost Maples State Natural Area, near Kerrville. While it was not as resplendent as Vermont or Pennsylvania, it was a beautiful treat for my fall starved eyes. My family took a trip out there just over 2 years ago, right before my husband deployed to Iraq for 14 months. (I cannot believe it has been just a week over two years since all that happened! Now he is home and we have another daughter added to our family...) It might be another year before we head there again, but it will certainly be a much anticipated return.

Head on over to I Heart Faces and share the beauty of your area's Fall offerings!

Dose of Cuteness :: Harker Heights Newborn Photographer

Ten days of life under her belt and all she does to celebrate is sleep. But you won't find me complaining! For that is when I subject her to photo shoots on the dining room table.

When I hold her and smell her and feel the warmth of her little body, all the fatigue and memory of late night feedings are washed away. I am suckered in by her cuteness, her perfection, the very miracle of her. Oh, the power she wields...

One Week :: Killeen Newborn Photographer

I was anxious to meet her. I was nearly counting the hours past my due date, wondering why she just wouldn't come. I was beginning to worry I would have to consider the idea of an induction date or a repeat Cesarean birth. All my worry was for naught, for when she decided it was time, I should have realized it was TIME. The words the hospital used were "precipitous delivery." The words I used were "Oh my goodness, she was almost born in the car!" Aside from not having enough time to get out of my clothes and into a hospital gown and not having enough time to even consider the IDEA of an epidural, it was an unremarkable delivery, resulting in the healthy birth of my second daughter, who is as perfect as perfect can be.

I cannot believe she has now been alive for an entire week, but here we are, seven days later. She is thriving, the family is slowly sorting itself out with the new addition and we feel so blessed. 

At long last, she makes her blog debut. You can expect to see more of her...

From Welcome Home to "Honey, it's time!"

How did we get here? What was the chain of events that took me from a slender mother of one to a bloated, pain riddled, panting expectant mother of another?

Let's review:

15 January 2009, my husband returns from 14 months deployed to Iraq:

09-10 February 2009, the Army sponsors a Marriage Retreat at Horseshoe Bay Resort in the Texas Hill Country. My mom kindly watched our daughter and we had a wonderful time reconnecting:

13 February 2009, we attended my husband's Unit Ball. Don't we look dapper? I was already suspicious that I was pregnant, but it was too early to test. Against my desires, I told my husband of my concern and asked him not to offer me any alcoholic beverages. Better safe than sorry:

18 February 2009, the first two pregnancy tests. How pale can the line be and still be considered positive?!

20 April 2009, my first pregnant picture, at about 13 weeks. I could still see my toes...

04 June 2009, our ultrasound at almost 19 weeks that revealed we are having another little girl:

(Her head is to the left and one foot is nearly touching her nose.)

19 October 2009, 38+ weeks pregnant:

03 November 2009: And now we are off to the hospital to meet this new addition to our family. I can't wait to share tons more pictures soon!